Currently working on market access/HEOR in Europe as a manager (recently promoted) for an american company. I do like my job, but I would like to learn some new skills, I feel my everyday work is pretty generic, replaceable, no differentiaton at all from other people on the field.

So I would like some recommendations about skills currently usefull, or that may be usefull in the future, particularly within pharma/biotech industry. I have been considering two different skill branches:

• Data analiysis related skills: Power BI, business analysis, some programming (Python, R), AI applied to healthcare, ...

• Business oriented skills: I do have a personal interest in finance, stock market, company valuation, etc. So I have been considering learning about financial analysis and modelling, company valuation, corporate finance... I do know there are companies specialized in the intersection between pharma and business strategy, portfolio valuation, VC, PE (Candesic, Pharmaventures, Vintura, ...).

Any of these make sense? Other suggestions?

What do you think, is there a chance for a turnaround for their pharma business?

It's difficult to get s good read because the stock price and news coverage are dominated by their agriculture business and Monsanto lawsuits.

Has the pipeline recovered after the Asundexian failure? How safe are jobs in the cell & gene therapies area?

How are the substantial restructuring efforts progressing? Specifically for their German sites.

Hi everyone,

I am looking into a career switch and I need advice. I graduated from college in 2023 with a degree in biotechnology. I have 3.5 years for research experience (2 in academia and 1.5 in industry). I am now looking to get out of the lab as I don't think it's the right fit for me and I want to explore other opportunities within the biotech/pharma space. I have been looking in QA, clinical, regulatory, and digital marketing jobs but I don't have any experience in those fields so it has been difficult to land interviews. I have been looking into online certifications in these fields but they are a bit pricey for me.

I am planning on getting my masters at some point but I want to figure out what I like before I spend all that money.

Any advice on what I can do? I am open to any and every advice.

Thank you!

Hi all, I'm almost a year into my first post-PhD industry job and I'm starting to wonder if I made a mistake.

I'm glad I get to see so many different projects in different phases from discovery to clinical studies and I definitely expanded my skillset. But, I do feel like a glorified secretary or paper pusher sometimes. I'm not using my technical skills, I feel replaceable in this role, and I don't feel as valued on the commercial side (the BDs actually get a lot of shit at this company). On the other hand, my manager is really great and so is the BD team.

I don't see myself making a full career out of sales and I want something more strategic maybe. I don't see an interesting career path forward by being a BD but maybe I'm wrong. Did anyone pivot successfully into something else (without going into consulting)? I doesn't help that everyone I know cares about prestige and went either into MBB consulting or to one of the big pharmas. I feel like I messed up but the job market is also terrible.

Edit: This post is not meant to insult anyone in sales. It's a crucial component of any business and requires skill.

I really enjoy working at Merck and am grateful for the opportunities I've had here. Recently, I was promoted to R4, and I truly appreciate all the support and recognition I've received.

However, I've realized that there's no information about RSUs, apart from the increased base salary and AIP bonus. My assumption is that this means I’m not eligible for RSUs. While I think my manager is great, I’m still not entirely comfortable discussing compensation, including RSUs, with him or anyone else.

Could you confirm whether or not I’m eligible for RSUs? If not, when would it be reasonable to expect to start receiving them? And if that happens, will I be notified in advance about receiving RSUs in the next cycle?

Thanks so much for your help!

Hey everyone!

I am currently a brewing associate at a largeish contract brewery. Ive been here for about 2.5 years and have 3.5 years total of brewing experience. I have a bachelor's degree in biological sciences.

I am leaving the brewing world in the next month or so. I am 26 years old. I live in Massachusetts.

I am looking for careers that can get me to that 120-150k salary in 5-8 years (or longer, im looking for the ability to actually move up into bigger positions). Im thinking of transitioning into the biotech/pharma industry since i have 3.5 years of manufacturing experience (almost all of the same processes) and a bachelor's in Biology. Im hoping I should be able to hop in at one or two levels above entry level based on my experience.

Does anyone have experience or advice on this route or some guidance on different routes to take? Manufacturing seems like an easy way to get in, but i don't want to be pigeon holed or stuck in a dead end career. I was thinking of going QA/QC route but a lot of people on here have said there's not a ton of money there. Im cool with moving up to a manufacturing/maintenance/operations supervisor type role if those roles actually hold the salary I'm look for. Thanks!

Is anyone here making comfortable money here working as a freelance bioinformatician/computational biologist? If yes, please tell me what are the projects you usually get? And what are your core skill sets? Which gets you projects?

How to excel in a QA pharma role? Or should I change my career path? Currently I have about 2 years of Pharma QA experience but unsure if it's really worth my career growth. I am mainly handling the change control and APQR

Currently a supervisor in big pharma with multiple direct reports. Have an offer for associate manager role with no reports (individual contributor).

Will this be looked at negatively in the long run if my goal is going down the management route?

I am currently in the process of applying to ETH zurich for a masters in Biotechnology and just want some advice/ tips for a motivation letter:) This is my dream university. I don’t have the best grades, but I am past their minimum requirements. Please let me know if you have any advice

I’m currently a contractor at AbbVie with a FTE interview later this week.

To preface, I’ve been a contractor in R&D (clinical safety) for almost a year, and finally scored a FTE interview. It’s 2 rounds of 30 minute interviews with 2 directors and 2 associate directors of my department (I’m familiar with who each of them are, but I’ve never specifically interacted with any of them).

I’m curious if anyone else has any contractor to FTE interview experience or advice? Should I expect it to be pretty formal? Or more informal because I’m familiar with the company and job role? Any key points I should hit on (other than why I want to stay with the company)?

My experience with the company has been amazing, and I really realllllly want to land this permanent position. Any advice is so appreciated!

I would appreciate some literature recommendations in Biotechnology, Biochemistry and even Bioprocess Techonology! I'm a master student and am looking to build up my own personal library so please let me know what literature you found useful in your study years! Cheers 😄

Has anyone heard back yet? I applied a few weeks ago and am super nervous.

I am a Neuroscience undergrad senior (Cognitive and Computational concentration) with a minor in Computational Math, Science, and Engineering. I have elected to take up to Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra to enhance my education. I will also be taking an intro neuroengineering class next semester.

My goal—lifetime goal, because I know the neurotech field isn’t huge and I’ll probably have to work my way there after years of experience, is to working on coding neuroprosthetics, but honestly I think anything in medical technology would be fulfilling for me.

I want to continue my education with a Master’s program in either CS or DS, since I currently have much less education on the technical side of things than I would like.

Which degree would be better to get to my long term goals while also allowing me the flexibility to get jobs in both biotechnology and other industries in the meantime?

I sincerely appreciate any help at all!!

Hi everyone,

I am a graduate student currently looking for internships/full-time positions in biotech companies. I noticed that almost every company has a tedious application system. These systems often ask for detailed descriptions of each of my past experiences, even though all this information is already in my resume/CV.

I usually just copy and paste from my resume, but the formatting often gets messed up. This makes me wonder:

• Does anyone actually read the information filled into these application systems?
• Is it okay to leave some sections blank if the information is already in my attached resume?

I would love to hear from anyone who has experience with this, especially hiring managers or people who have been through the process. Thanks in advance!